Unveiling Adam Wingard's Hidden Gem: A Thriller Masterpiece of 2014

Adam Wingard's career in Hollywood has been quite unusual. He has risen to prominence, primarily due to his recent takeover of the renowned Monsterverse franchise owned by Legendary. Wingard's direction of Godzilla vs. Kong, a thrilling kaiju film, received great acclaim from both long-time fans and new audiences. In his earlier works, Wingard skillfully drew inspiration from beloved franchises, adopting their essence without direct adaptation. A prime example of this is seen in Wingard's The Guest, a gripping story where a super soldier arrives to aid a grieving family.

The pivotal point in Wingard's career can be traced to his collaboration with screenwriter Simon Barrett. Together, they crafted extraordinary films such as A Horrible Way to Die, You're Next, The Guest, and Blair Witch. While Barrett was absent from Wingard's ventures into Death Note and Godzilla vs. Kong, their upcoming project, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, marks their reunion. Ultimately, Wingard and Barrett shine brightest when working together, as they undoubtedly share the credit for their most remarkable achievements, despite not all their collaborations reaching the same level of success.

What is The Guest about?

The Petersons, a seemingly idyllic nuclear family, are grieving the loss of their eldest son Caleb, who died in Afghanistan. Spencer and Laura, the parents, along with their children Luke and Anna, each cope with the tragedy in their own ways, some healthier than others. One day, a handsome young man named David appears at their doorstep. David reveals himself to be Caleb's closest friend from his time overseas and shares that Caleb's dying wish was for David to find his family and take care of them. David quickly wins over Laura and Spencer with his charm, kindness, and ability to provide closure by sharing stories of Caleb's time away. The family becomes addicted to David's presence, as he fills the void left by Caleb's passing. The Petersons eventually invite David to stay with them, but there is an underlying sense that something is amiss.

Every member of the family is facing their own difficulties. Anna, a fiercely independent teenager with unique music taste and a desire to escape her current life, is hesitant to trust David from the start. Spencer encounters work problems, while Laura feels a sense of unfulfillment. Young Luke, on the other hand, is grappling with bullies. However, David begins to intervene in troubling ways, resorting to violence to protect Luke by aggressively confronting his tormentors, arming him with a knife, and teaching him how to do the same. David also earns Anna's respect by taking down her friend's abusive ex-partner. As unexpected good fortune strikes when Spencer's boss suddenly passes away, leading to a lucrative promotion, Anna becomes suspicious of David. As David's true intentions become apparent and his facade crumbles, the family starts to unravel, threatening to engulf the entire town in chaos.

How did The Guest develop?

Simon Barrett has extensively discussed the inspiration behind The Guest. In the late-2000s, Barrett originally came up with a similar concept, which was darker and grittier than its eventual iteration. In this version, David served as Caleb's bitter adversary. After secretly killing Caleb, David would then track down Caleb's family and seek to eliminate them as well. However, Barrett put this script on hold. Later on, director Adam Wingard became intrigued by the Implacable Man archetype, particularly in the context of movies like Halloween or The Terminator. He wanted to create a character that posed an unstoppable threat to an unsuspecting small town. This notion reminded Barrett of his previously discarded script, and he subsequently reworked it to become The Guest.

Wingard firmly insisted on casting Dan Stevens as David. Stevens was renowned for his portrayal of Matthew Crawley in the television series Downton Abbey, although he was not widely known in America at the time. Since then, Stevens has gained global popularity. Both Wingard and Barrett realized that the challenge in casting David lay not in making him intimidating, but in making him likable enough for the audience to believe that a family would welcome him into their home. Dan Stevens proved to be the perfect choice for the role, as his natural charisma and calm demeanor instantly established him as an iconic character. Stevens has gone on to star in leading roles in series such as Legion and films like Apostle. He will also collaborate with Wingard and Barrett again in Godzilla x Kong.

How does The Guest end?

David is described as a failed experiment, created by a joint government and corporate initiative to develop a super soldier. Anna contacts David's military base and learns that he is presumed dead. However, her call alerts David's creators, who dispatch armed mercenaries to track him down. In a bid to cover his tracks, David embarks on a violent killing spree, stabbing Laura and running over Spencer with his car. As he makes his way towards Anna and Luke, he eliminates the mercenaries he encounters. Eventually, at Luke's school, Anna shoots David, and Luke proceeds to deliver two fatal stabs using a knife given to him by David. As David seemingly fades away, he gestures a thumbs up to Luke, pleased to see his student learning from him. As Luke and Anna depart, they notice a limping firefighter, leading Anna to realize that David has survived and is escaping in disguise.

"The Guest" is a unique film that draws inspiration from various sources. While fans will be delighted to see Barrett and Wingard collaborate once more, it is unlikely that they will create anything quite like "The Guest" within a franchise. "The Guest" truly deserves more recognition, and fans of either filmmaker's previous work should invite it into their homes.